Sometimes the most exciting collaborations happen when the participants are so distinct that they have no clear connection. For example, no two shoe designers have less overlap than Birkenstock and Manolo Blahnik, the brand that was immortalised by Sex and the City. Should they collaborate on a new shoe that struggles hard to merge their disparate styles? Probably not. But have they? Yes.
Birkenstock has hired Blahnik to jazz up its women’s range. The results of this crazed experiment include fuchsia and royal blue velvet interpretations of the classic Arizona model, and a new version of the black leather Boston shoe. The likelihood is that you won’t buy a pair of these shoes. If you want to wear Manolo Blahniks you won’t want to clod around in a pair of Birkenstocks; and if you like Birkenstocks, you aren’t going to want to spend £415 on an impractical-looking new pair with a sparkly buckle. But that doesn’t mean the whole thing isn’t interesting.
